Rabbi’s Reflections – Thursday, October 29, 2020

Shalom,

Friday night, YES!  Saturday morning, NO!  That’s the headline, but what does it mean?  For the first time in more than 20 years there will be no service on Saturday morning.  This is only for this week, because Saturday, October 31st is the 5th Saturday (there is one per quarter).  

We will do a big service on Friday night (preceded by a covered dish Shabbat dinner), and then on Saturday morning we are urging everyone to pray.  First, ask the Lord how He would have you honor His Shabbat.  Then, pray for our country on the last Shabbat before the election.  Follow that with prayer in any way the Lord directs.  It’s His Shabbat.  It’s your relationship with Him.

Daily Bread, reading plan by Lars Enarson (https://www.thewatchman.org/)

Thu 29-Oct-2020 11th of Cheshvan, 5781

Ge 14:21-15:6Jos 23Ps 23-24Mt 16(1 Jn 4)

The last 3 verses of the 5th Aliyah of Lech L’cha are these… (The Torah portion for this week is called “Lech L’cha,” meaning “To you, “Go.”  Each Torah portion has 7 Aliyah’s or reading portions, plus a “Maftir” or concluding reading.)

Genesis 15:4 Then behold, the word of Adonai came to him saying, “This one (Abram’s servant from Damascus, Eliezer) will not be your heir, but in fact, one who will come from your own body will be your heir. 5 He (the Lord) took him (Abram) outside and said, “Look up now, at the sky, and count the stars—if you are able to count them.” Then He said to him, “So shall your seed be.” 6 Then he (Abram) believed in Adonai and He (Adonai)  reckoned it to him as righteousness.

“Then he believed…” and thus Abram “crossed over” from unbelief into belief, from no faith into faith.  In Hebrew, the word for “crossed over” is “Evri,” which is the Hebrew word for “Hebrew.”  Abram became the first “Evri.”  That is significant to us because each of us are also Evri.  Galatians 3:6 Just as Abraham “believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” 7 know then that those who have faith are children of Abraham.

I could write and write and write about these things, but let’s just rest in that for now.  

Week 44
Memory Verse: Romans 10:4 For the weapons of our warfare are not fleshly but powerful through God for the tearing down of strongholds. We are tearing down false arguments.

216   10/26    Monday:         2 Corinthians 9-10

217 10/27      Tuesday:        2 Corinthians 11-13

218   10/28    Wednesday:   Romans 1-2; Acts 20:1-3     

* 219   10/29  Thursday:       Romans 3-4

220   10/30    Friday:         Romans 5-6

Question of the day:  So many questions, so little time.  There are 20 questions in these two chapters of Scripture.  Which one should I make the question of the day?

Answer:  The first question in Romans 3 is the question of the day… Romans 3:1a Then what is the advantage of being Jewish?  That’s a question that deserves an answer, and Paul does answer it.  Many pastors (including some I know well) have provided an answer that is at odds with Paul’s answer.  This concerns me as a believer in Yeshua, and as a Jewish person, and I want to tell you why.  

Paul answers, Romans 3:2a Much in every way.  Yet many pastors have said, “No how, no way, is there an advantage to being Jewish.”  This puts them at odds with the Bible, and requires a “Swiss cheese” like theology (one with big holes in it).  This effectively marginalizes the effectiveness of the Gospel to Jewish people.  The message is clear, Yeshua is King of the Jews.  The good news is that everyone else in the world is invited to the party, especially the Jews themselves.

The advantage is to be grafted in again to their own olive tree.  Romans 11:1 I say then, God has not rejected His people, has He? May it never be!… 23 And they (Jewish people) also, if they (Jewish people) do not continue in their (Jewish people) unbelief, will be grafted in; for God is able to graft them (Jewish people) in again.

The objective of the gospel is the establishment of the Kingdom of God on earth.  The disciples who walked with Yeshua understood this.  Acts 1:6 So when they gathered together, they (the disciples) asked Him (Yeshua), “Lord, are You restoring the kingdom to Israel at this time?”  Yeshua did not tell them their question was wrong, he simply said (paraphrasing here), “We don’t know when this will happen.”

Revival is a word we hear tossed around without a full appreciation of it’s implications.  A wordsmith (such as myself) would explain “revival” as bringing back life to the dead.  Paul connects that coming revival to Jewish people.  Romans 11:12 Now if their (Jewish people’s) transgression leads to riches for the world, and their (Jewish people’s) loss riches for the Gentiles, then how much more their (Jewish people’s) fullness!… 15 For if their (Jewish people’s) rejection leads to the reconciliation of the world, what will their (Jewish people’s) acceptance be but life from the dead?  “Life from the dead” is exactly the meaning of revival!  

The point is clear, it is God’s plan that the salvation of an abundance of Jewish people will lead to worldwide revival and to the return of Yeshua when He will “restore the kingdom (His kingdom) to Israel” and from Israel, Yeshua will rule the world for 1,000 years.  Isaiah 2:2 It will come to pass in the last days that the mountain of Adonai’s House will stand firm as head of the mountains and will be exalted above the hills. So all nations will flow to it. 3 Then many peoples will go and say: “Come, let us go up to the mountain of Adonai, to the House of the God of Jacob! Then He will teach us His ways, and we will walk in His paths.” For Torah will go forth from Zion and the word of Adonai from Jerusalem.

These last days are described more fully in Revelation 20.  Revelation 20:4 Then I saw thrones, and people sat upon them—those to whom authority to judge was given. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony for Yeshua and because of the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or his image, nor had they received his mark on their forehead or on their hand. And they came to life and reigned with the Messiah for a thousand years. 5 The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were completed. This is the first resurrection. 6 How fortunate and holy is the one who has a share in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no authority, but they shall be kohanim of God and the Messiah, and they shall reign with Him for a thousand years.

Bo Yeshua, bo!  (Come Yeshua, come!)